The present invention relates generally to magnetic tape data storage, and more specifically, to monitoring the condition of tape heads.
In the field of magnetic tape data storage, tape heads are a type of transducer used to convert electrical signals to magnetic fluctuations and vice versa. Tape heads may be used to read, write, and/or erase information to/from magnetic tape storage. Over time, tape drive operation may wear down a tape head, leading to higher error rates and even drive failure. One way to monitor head wear is to gather data on the head-to-tape spacing.